1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a data processing system and in particular to an improved method and computer program product to improve storage efficiency on a media recorder. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for recording standard definition television programming on a high definition channel in standard definition resolution.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital video recorders (DVRs) are used to record and present television programming and other media. Digital video recorders are capable of recording both high definition and standard definition channels. However, television programming that is recorded in a high definition resolution will occupy a greater percentage of storage space on a digital video recorder than television programming that is recorded in a standard definition resolution.
Television channels may be broadcast in either high definition or standard definition. Oftentimes, a high definition channel presents television programming originating from a standard definition format, but has been up-scaled to a high definition format. When a program which originates in standard definition is upscaled to high definition format, the improvements in picture quality are very minor, but the storage space required to keep the program on a DVR are similar to a program which originated as high definition. In fact, programs recorded in high definition format can take as much as 6 times the space as a program in standard definition format. The result is that a viewer must use greater storage space to keep a program (which was originally standard definition format, but upscaled to high definition), but does not benefit from the quality improvements that a high definition format provides. In order to store a greater percentage of television programming, a viewer instead may prefer to have the television programming, which was originally in standard definition format, recorded and presented in a standard definition resolution.